Political agreement sought to settle repatriation issues

Rita A. Widiadana and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Jakarta

Representatives of East Timorese refugees and delegates from the new country are seeking a political agreement on the unsettled issues of reconciliation and repatriation.

Sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the two sides met on Friday in Atambua, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara regency, which borders on East Timor.

Among the representatives for the refugees was former prointegration militia commander Joao da Silva Tavares, who has expressed his interest in returning to his homeland.

East Timor's delegation included Attorney General Longiunhus Monteiro, Marciano da Silva of the foreign ministry, Antonio Pirez of the education ministry, Aniceto and Isabel Gutteres of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, and East Timor Police deputy chief Insp. Julio da Costa Hornay.

UNHCR representative Jake Morland said the international humanitarian body organized the meeting at the request of Tavares, who expressed his desire for the talks through the Indonesian Military (TNI).

"It is believed that Mr. Tavares is followed by many thousands of refugees, and as such his decision to return is critical to resolving the East Timorese refugee situation," Morland said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post.

The meeting occurred on the eve of a high-level dialog between Indonesian and East Timorese government officials on residual issues, including Indonesian assets in East Timor and refugees.

Morland said he believed the Atambua meeting was necessary to establish a reconciliation prior to the repatriation of the remaining 50,000 East Timorese refugees in Indonesia.

An estimated 250,000 East Timorese fled to Kupang and other areas of West Timor when military-backed militias went on a bloody rampage after the former Indonesian province voted for independence in a United Nations-sponsored referendum in August 1999.

Plans by Tavares, a former regent of Bobonaro, to return to East Timor have come under fire, with many worried that he may carry out "a special mission" ordered by the TNI.

At the outset of the meeting on Friday, the refugees asked East Timor to guarantee their safety if they returned home, as well as seeking assurances that they would not face discrimination.

In reply, the East Timor delegation said the security situation in the new country was stable, and "many state guests, including Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri, had visited the region without any harm".

"Our constitution underlines that we must protect all East Timorese," Monteiro said as quoted by Antara news agency.

But when Tavares asked for "a safe haven" for former prointegration supporters, Monteiro said "all East Timorese must mingle with each other".

Separately in Bali, it was announced that some 9,000 East Timorese refugee families will return home under a joint repatriation program by Aug. 31, the deadline set by the Indonesian government.

Indonesia's director general for social affairs, Sumarjati Arjoso, told the Post after a joint meeting here that there would be no more repatriations after the August deadline.

The three-day meeting, which concluded on Friday, was aimed at speeding up the repatriation of East Timorese refugees. Attending the meeting were representatives of the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration and Ministry of Health, the East Nusa Tenggara provincial government, the Udayana Military Command, the UNHCR, the World Food Program (WFP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other parties.

Kemala Ahwil, an UNHCR external relations officer, said the commission would work with the IOM to transport the refugees to East Timor.

Upon arriving in East Timor, each refugee family will receive non-food aid, including housing materials, household utensils and other necessary items. And the WFP, she said, has agreed to provide food assistance, including rice, sugar and salt.

In addition, since June 2001, refugees wanting to return home have been given Rp 750,000.

In 2002, the Ministry of Social Affairs has allocated Rp 22 billion to deal with East Timorese refugees, as well as the hundreds of Indonesians who fled to West Timor because of the ongoing conflict in Maluku.

"After Aug. 31, anyone who wants to return to East Timor will have to pay his or her own way," Kemala Ahwil said.